DECA, in conjunction with the Division of Computer System Services (DCSS), offers content management system (CMS) services to the NIH. DECA and DCSS can assist with all aspects of implementing CMS initial planning, template development, integrating data with existing applications and databases, migrating existing content, training for authors and users, and ongoing monitoring and operations.
Benefits of the CMS Service
|
•
|
Updating content
|
Web authors can update pages in their Web browser within the context of the page—no special Web tool or knowledge is required.
|
|
•
|
Navigation and links
|
Maintenance is handled automatically—no need to add or remove links when pages change.
|
|
•
|
Templates
|
Managers can maintain a consistent design throughout the site by giving authors templates to use.
|
|
•
|
Design control
|
Web site managers can customize the level of design and formatting for authors, yet retain control.
|
|
•
|
Approval process
|
Managers can set up a workflow and approval process that ensures proper approval is obtained for new and revised pages.
|
|
•
|
Dates
|
Authors and editors can set publish/expiration dates on any page, and all links to this page will appear/disappear at the designated time.
|
|
•
|
Archiving
|
An archive of all versions of a page is available for review. A page can be rolled back to a previous version.
|
|
•
|
Multiple versions
|
Different versions of the same page—graphic versus text-only pages or NIH-only versus public pages—can pull content from the same location and be updated with a single edit.
|
|
•
|
Access
|
Access to the authoring site is part of the NIH Portal’s standard NIH network login—no additional login is required.
|
Costs of the Service
The cost of CIT’s CMS service is very low relative to the cost of a stand-alone system. As a conservative estimate, a mid-sized institute would probably need an initial investment of $600,000 for its own stand-alone system. CIT is able to provide the CMS service at a price most NIH organizations can afford by leveraging the initial investment across a number of different sites in a shared environment.
Providing a CMS Web site entails two costs—the one-time cost to develop the site, and the on-going cost to host and maintain the site.
For additional information please contact: Ms. Michele (Dockery) Felton, IT Project Manager, DECA/CIT; dockerym@mail.nih.gov
